LTWL 172

 

We will be going over paginations and contents of reserve readings in class.  Please print out these readings to facilitate class discussions.  I use e-reserves to make things cheaper, but we do need to be able to read these texts in class and I prefer that you have print copies. 

 

Be prepared to answer the following quiz question for April 5.

 

1.  How, according to Jonathan Riley-Smith, did Christian leaders justify Òholy warÓ at the time of the Crusades?  How do Guibert de Nogent and James de Vitry justify violence in the name of faith? 

 

Related questions:

 

Guibert of Nogent

 

1.  What sorts of images recur in GuibertÕs writing? 

 

2.  How does Guibert use the Bible in his text?

 

3. What is a just war for Guibert?   How does his justification for war compare to James of Vitry

 

For April 7:  Be prepared to answer any of the questions below related to Sefer Zekhirah

 

1.  What sort of imagery can be found in the Sefer Zekhirah?

 

2.  Who is the speaker in Sefer Zekhirah?  How does he create a persona?  What is his relation to the events related in the text?

 

3.  What is the purpose of Sefer Zekhirah?  How does it use biblical references to achieve this purpose?  Provide an example. 

 

4.  What is the attitude toward death in this text?  Toward the dead? 

 

For April 9:

 

Potential quiz topic #1:  Be prepared to write an essay that compares and contrasts Muslim and Christian accounts of the Crusades.  Your thesis should take into account what you see as the most significant similarity or difference between the two.  Be sure to use specific examples from the texts to support your thesis.  You donÕt need to provide long quotes (we all have the same text), but a strong essay will pick a specific feature, figure, aspect of style etc. and use that to shape the thesis and argumentation. 

 

Topic 2 : Compare and contrast the poems Vos qui ameis de vraie amour  and Por joie avoir perfite en paradis

 

 

For the poems consider these questions:

 

1.  Who is being addressed in this poem?  (i.e. who is ÒyouÓ in the poem?

 

2.  What are the values presented in this poem?  What are its goals?

 

 

Anonymous poem (Por joie avoir perfite en paradis)

 

1.  What sorts of imagery do you find in this poem?

 

2.  What are the different types of love treated in the poem?

 

ÒAttack and CounterattackÓ

 

  1. What role do faith and religion play in this chronicle account of the Battle of Hattin?  What are specific examples of the importance of faith/religion?

 

  1. How are Muslims and Islam portrayed in this text?  What is the authorÕs attitude toward them?

 

  1. How does this text compare to the Cid and Roland? Do you see any similar elements?  Differences?  Try to be as specific as possible.

 

 

ÒSaladin and the Third CrusadeÓ

 

  1. What role do faith and religion play in this chronicle account?  What are specific examples of the importance of faith/religion?

 

  1. How are Christians/Franks portrayed in this text?  What is the authorÕs attitude toward them?

 

  1. How is Saladin portrayed?  How does this account compare to that of the Battle of Hattin and the battle over Jerusalem compare to the Christian account?  Find specific points of comparison.

 

Overall I am interested in the differences and similarities between these two accounts.  How do they differ?  What elements do they share?  How can we decide what is ÒtruthfulÓ in historical accounts like these?  What is the impact of such texts for the respective Ôcollective memoriesÓ of Christians and Muslims?